


Sleepwalking in Outer Space

by NylonRabbit



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Armitage Hux Has Feelings, Armitage Hux Has Issues, Armitage Hux Needs A Hug, Cuddling & Snuggling, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, Kylux - Freeform, M/M, Men Crying, Protective Kylo Ren, Scared Hux, Sleep, Sleep Deprivation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 06:34:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20887691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NylonRabbit/pseuds/NylonRabbit
Summary: In fear of a potential coup as he sleeps, Hux suffers from severe insomnia. After witnessing Hux collapse into a control panel on bridge duty, Ren decides to put his dislike of the man aside in order to help him sleep, for the good of the First Order. Or so he tells himself...





	Sleepwalking in Outer Space

It was fair to say that Hux and Ren’s relationship had certainly started with a bang.

Ren had noticed the decline in Hux’s health before Hux had fallen face first into the control panel, but his resentment of the man prior to the incident had eclipsed this acknowledgment entirely. It was only as he’d witnessed the lieutenants crowding around Hux, pulling him up, and guiding him off to medbay that Ren had finally, _truly_ acknowledged his reluctant co-commander as an actual human being, and realized the thoughts he’d been hearing so loudly in Hux’s mind were actually taking a physical toll on him. Reports of Hux’s state were delivered to Ren later that day, and he was soon informed that the General had been suffering from a case of acute insomnia.

All things considered, it made sense. The tired, heavy eyelids, the dark circles underneath Hux’s eyes, the unexplained weight loss and somehow even more pallid complexion than before. In the past few weeks, Ren had even noticed a considerable decline in Hux’s capacities within both his military role and general activities, constantly bleary eyed and confused on shift, and at one point he’d even witnessed Hux pouring a hot cup of caf onto the mess table before him, missing his cup by several inches.

This wouldn’t do. This wouldn’t do at all, and he needed to fix it.

Roughly an hour after Ren’s shift had officially ended, having attended to all preliminary matters for the following day, he made his way to Hux’s quarters.

\-------------

Having been released from medbay and instructed to take the rest of the day off, Hux found himself feeling rather useless as he sat on the edge of his bed, uniform jacket partially undone, his usually perfectly coiffed hair hanging limply over his face. He felt weak -helpless almost-- in his current state, and despite all of the advice he’d been given from the medics, he had absolutely no intention of taking a short leave from duty. That was not how he’d been raised, he’d never been taught to succumb to his own fears, or any emotion for that matter. He knew he hadn’t been sleeping well recently, but taking a period of leave from his duties was absolutely unacceptable. His concerns and anxieties regarding sleep were nothing more than a small, pathetic part of his psyche that he would soon find the strength to crush. Sleep deprivation was hardly any reason to abandon his post or his determination to take down the Resistance.

_At least, that was what he told himself._

The reality Hux was not willing to acknowledge as the cause for his insomnia was, that he was _scared_. He was scared to his core at the idea of laying his head down and cosying up in the comfort of his bedsheets, alone in the darkness. He was afraid of the very concept of allowing himself to fall asleep, allowing himself to be placed in such a prone, vulnerable state as _sleep._

The truth was, Hux did not trust his fellow officers in the First Order, he knew they knew exactly how he’d ascended to his role of General, and he also knew that a lot of the lower ranking officers resented the hell out of him for it_. He was too young, inexperienced, had gained his role entirely through nepotism._ In Hux’s mind, it made perfect sense that one of his subordinates would eventually form a coup and ambush him, take him out as he lay sleeping, and return the Order to whatever it was they saw fit.

The thought shook Hux to his core, and every night spent alone in his quarters was a truly terrifying ordeal. He’d do anything to keep himself awake until the early hours, all the time assuring himself sleep was not entirely necessary. Distraction, Hux had come to learn, was a fantastic method of keeping his eyes wide open. And in the comfort of his chambers, he’d only wished his particular method of distraction hadn’t been the thought of that ridiculous man-child visiting him and holding him close…

\-------------

Ren had easily overridden the security codes of Hux’s quarters, having spent an extensive amount of time in the other man’s mind, he’d say he knew more or less everything about the man. It pained Ren to admit it, but in his extensive intrusions into Hux’s mind, he’d discovered so many unexpected details about the man that it had gradually softened his feelings over time. Hux’s love of bitter tarine tea, the joy he felt during planet side visits in which he got the opportunity to taste real food instead of First Order standard rehydrated mush. He would not like to admit it to himself, but Ren even found the sensation of awe and comfort Hux experienced as he sat in his military standard pajamas, cross legged, looking out upon the vast reaches of the galaxy, rather endearing.

From the minute Ren had begun to scan through Hux’s mind in order to determine whether or not he was to be trusted, he hadn’t expected to see a human side to Hux at all, but what he’d expected even less was to see a vulnerable side to Hux. To his credit, the man had managed to maintain a reasonably well guarded fortress around his deeper thoughts and feelings until recently, clearly aware Ren would have open access to them otherwise, but with Hux’s recent declining health, he’d become sloppy, with the majority of his deeper thoughts and feelings being considerably easier to read. And now, Ren knew exactly why Hux had fallen face first into that control panel earlier that day.

‘W—what? S-Supreme Leader, why are you here?!’ Hux jolted, pulling himself up from the bed and pawing at the fallen strands of red hair over his forehead in an attempt to push them back to their usual slicked back position. He attempted to stand up straight and compose himself, bloodshot eyes blinking back the damp, shaky breaths and heaving ribcage trying – and for the most part, failing --to steady to a calm, rhythmic beat as Hux swallowed back his anxiety. Ren saw straight through it.

‘Don’t be afraid, Hux, I’m not here to harm you,’ Ren made an effort to placate him, gesturing for Hux to sit back down on the bed. ‘I’m here to help.’

Hux’s stance eased a little, and he sat back down on the bed, but Ren could still feel the fear in Hux’s mind and body, sense his heart racing at an unhealthy speed, and somehow feel the involuntary jittering in his limbs. Hux’s eyes were cast down now as Ren took a step towards him, noticing the other man’s shaking hands as they settled upon his lap.

Instinctively, Ren closed the space between them, kneeled down before the edge of the bed, and took hold of his rival’s jittering hands, closing his own palms around them and squeezing.

Hux looked up then, seemingly bewildered at the gesture. Fat, glistening clumps of tears threatened at the brim of his wide eyes now; it was a sight so alien to Ren he momentarily wondered if he were imagining this entire event.

‘Look, Ren,’ Hux finally stammered, ‘I don’t need you to…’

‘I know, alright, Hux?’ Ren cut him off, ‘I know why you haven’t been sleeping.’

Hux’s eyes widened at that.

‘I…I don’t know what you mean, Ren, if you’re referring to today, that was simply…’

‘It’s alright, Hux. Look, as I said, I’m here to help you, not hurt you. I know it may be hard, but please, just try to trust me. It’s important you get better for the good of the Order. That’s why I’m going to help you.’

_And that really was the only reason why he cared_, Ren tried to convince himself as he spoke, palms still clasped to Hux’s and fingers still encased over the other man’s slightly smaller, delicate hands. He could really sense Hux’s tension now as he physically connected with him, the poor man was practically vibrating with nervous anticipation, the sound of his pounding heart practically booming between Ren’s ears.

‘You’re afraid to allow yourself to sleep, aren’t you? Afraid they’ll hurt you…’ Ren whispered.

Hux’s gaze turned upward then to focus on him, bleary green eyes staring back at Ren’s with a strange vulnerability Ren had never witnessed before. He felt an unexpected tug in his chest then, an intangible sense of second hand agony and even- _fuck_ \--sympathy for the man he’d spent so many years despising.

‘It’s relentless, Ren,’ Hux murmured. ‘They all hate me. And I’m trapped.’

‘It’s OK, Hux,’ Ren reassured him, thumbs sweeping over the tops of Hux’s hands. ‘So long as I’m in charge, no one will be able to touch you.’

Hux frowned. ‘And why should I trust your word? Surely, if anyone wanted to end my life, it would be you…’

‘No,’ Ren shook his head. ‘I may not like you, but I do value your life. You’re too important to the Order to lose. Or to be as incompetent as you have currently become. Please, let me help you.’

He let go of Hux’s hands then, and gestured towards the bed.

‘Lay back and try to relax. I’ll get you some pajamas from the fresher.’

Hux’s brows remained tightly knitted, but he did as instructed, slowly pulling himself away from Ren and reclining back in a sitting position against the headboard of his bed, arms folded over his stomach and suspicious gaze remaining locked on him until Ren got up off the bed and left the room for the fresher.

Ren opened the cupboard of freshly dried laundry and retrieved a new, crisp set of grey First Order issued pajamas for Hux. He re-entered the room briefly and threw them across to where Hux was sitting, rigid as ever, against the bed.

‘Put these on,’ he ordered. ‘I’m going to make you a drink to help you sleep.’

‘For goodness sake, I’m not incapacitated, Ren,’ Hux snapped as the clothes hit him.

‘I didn’t say you were,’ Ren replied, before making his way to the small kitchen area of Hux’s quarters. He rifled through the cupboards until he found an appropriate mug, and reached into the pockets of his robe until he found the sachet of Laviniar extract tea. He’d made a brief stop at his own quarters in order to collect the drink for Hux. It had been a gift given to him from many, many years ago by the woman he had once called his mother to help him with his night terrors, to block out the tormenting voice of who he now knew to be the deceased former Supreme Leader Snoke. Ren wasn’t sure why he’d kept the remaining sachets with him until now.

Five minutes later, and Ren had boiled and mixed up Hux’s drink, returning to the bedroom area of his quarters, hot mug in hand, to find Hux sat with his head cast down to his knees, arms wrapped around them tightly. As Ren approached closer, it became clear from the glistening stains against the other man’s cheeks that Hux had been crying.

Ren set the mug down against the bedside table, sitting at the edge of the bed as he looked back at Hux, feeling a strange tug of compassion fill his chest once again. Without meaning to, he found his hand reaching out to grasp Hux’s shoulder.

‘You should drink this, Hux, it’ll calm you down.’

To Ren’s surprise, Hux pulled his gaze away from his bedsheets, straightening himself up and wiping his face with the edge of his long sleeve pajama top. It was a strange sight to see Hux in such soft, loose fitting clothing in person; other than his force reading images, Ren had never seen the General in anything other than his pristinely kempt uniform, complete with perfectly, almost ridiculously styled slicked back hair. This scared, sad, casually dressed creature with his floppy red locks and wide eyes was a sight Ren had never expected, or prepared himself for. And his rapidly softening feelings for the man? Well they were even more unprecedented.

‘Well, pass the damn thing to me then, Ren,’ Hux demanded, half-hearted, voice sore from the tears he’d permitted himself in Ren’s brief absence.

Ren decided to ignore Hux’s insubordinate tone and use of his name, feeling the man had probably suffered enough today to be reprimanded on top of it. He handed Hux the mug, and watched as Hux sipped at it, shaky hands grasped tightly around it. The sips became more and more frequent, and it wasn’t long before he’d finished the whole thing, setting it down on the side table and sighing, He didn’t ask Ren what it was, and Ren didn’t offer any such information.

‘How do you feel?’

‘I don’t know,’ Hux sighed. ‘Slightly calmer, I suppose.’

‘Do you feel like you can sleep now?’

Hux remained silent.

‘Hux?’

‘What?’

‘I said, do you feel like you can sleep?’

Hux’s expression tightened, and suddenly it became very clear to Ren that the answer was _No._

‘I’m going to stay with you tonight,’ Ren told him.

‘What? Ren, no, I assure you, that’s entirely unnecessary,’ Hux protested, his face flushing a deep shade of red.

‘Hux, you don’t feel safe right now, I know that you don’t, and that will prevent you from sleeping. Trust me when I say I will confirm your safety in the coming week, I will search the minds of every single one of our subordinates I encounter to ensure they mean you no harm, but for now, I need you to be OK. The Order needs you, General, _I need you. _I need you to function properly. And for that, you need to sleep.’

For a while, Hux said nothing, glancing down and sulking as the two of them sat in silence. Ten minutes or so must have passed before he finally opened his mouth to speak.

‘Very well, Ren,’ he sighed. ‘But if you must stay, might I request you grant me one act of kindness, if you have it in you to do so?’

‘What is it you require, General?’ Ren asked.

‘Could you, if you are able, perhaps use your... _Force magic_ or whatever you want to call it to help me sleep?’

Ren could tell Hux was embarrassed to have made such a request, noting the immediate downcast eyes and reddening cheeks, but how could he deny him, having looked into the poor man’s mind and seen what he’d been experiencing recently?

‘OK then. Lay down, properly this time,’ Ren instructed, although his tone was a lot softer than usual now. ‘Get under the covers and try to get yourself as comfortable as possible.’

Hux did as he was told, pulling the sheets up over him and laying his head back against the pillow.

_And oh Hells, why was the sight of that such an endearing image? How could someone like General Hux look so soft and adorable tucked up in bed in his pajamas? In fact, how could such an image even exist in reality?_

‘Try to relax your breathing, Hux,’ Ren told him, brushing away the floppy strands of red hair from Hux’s face and placing a hand over his forehead. ‘I don’t want this to startle you.’

‘Surely it’s your job to sort that out,’ Hux muttered, before his frantic breaths abruptly broke off with a deep sigh, his eyes snapping shut as he felt the Force flow through him. Ren smiled, watching as Hux’s chest began to slow to a calm, natural pace, sensing his body warm and relax.

‘Do you feel better now, Hux?’ he asked, after a while.

‘Yes. Thank you, Ren,’ Hux breathed, the faint hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, once again a sight Ren could have only imagined he could witness.

To Ren’s surprise, Hux reached his arm out, his hand searching for Ren’s, before finding it and clasping around it, just as Ren had done so to him shortly before.

‘I’m glad you’re here, Ren,’ Hux sighed, a blissful smile on his face now. ‘Thank you for watching over me.’

And Ren’s heart fluttered. He squeezed Hux’s hand back, and found himself smiling as he watched and felt the fear and anxiousness fade out of the man laying before him until there was nothing but silence in his mind, the room almost as silent except for the calm, rhythmic breaths of the General. Once he was certain the man was soundly asleep and his mind was calm and clear, he gave Hux’s hand one final squeeze before letting go.

‘Goodnight, General.’

Ren fell asleep in the nearby armchair shortly afterwards.

\-------------

As the months went on, Hux and Ren kept up their discretionary arrangement, Ren watching over Hux and making sure he was safe from any potential mutinous intruders. This dynamic worked just fine, until one night Hux woke up from his Force assisted sleep and asked Ren to join him in bed, the untold feelings that had been developing over time finally surfacing. And, _oh Gods,_ the desire for a more personal intimacy, born from the period the two had shared with one another had been a bantha in the room for a long time. Finally, their feelings for one another were out in the open. Ren had obliged to Hux’s request straight away, and the minute he’d climbed into the bed and wrapped his arms around Hux’s beautiful, lithe form and felt the joy in Hux’s mind at the very sensation of his arms around his body, Ren felt his heart swell with happiness. From that night on, Hux no longer requested Ren’s use of the Force to help him sleep, the presence of Ren and the sensation of being held close by him being enough to lull him into a deep, relaxed sleep. It was clear now that Hux no longer had anything to fear, the pair of them knowing that if any of their potentially insubordinate officers were to even attempt to harm him, that they would be torn limb from limb by Ren before they even got close to Hux.

‘Ren, are you awake?’ Hux whispered one night, sometime shortly after that first night together, half dazed by sleep.

‘Yeah, I’m awake, are you alright?’

‘Yes. I just…I just wanted you to know….’ he swallowed. ‘I just wanted you to know that I…I love you.’

Ren’s heart skipped a beat, and he enclosed his arms tightly around Hux’s form and squeezed him tight but gently.

‘I love you too, darling, so much,’ he sighed, a sleepy smile forming as he leaned in and planted a kiss on Hux’s cheek. ‘Goodnight, sweetheart, sleep well.’

**Author's Note:**

> This was once again based on a twitter drabble, hit me up at @RabbitNylon if you want! :)


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